Not for faint hearts or weak stomachs, John Ajvide Lindqvist will be sure to terrify and delight horror fans with his unique brand of Scandinavian horror in Little Star. Lennart and Laila Cedersrom were once a famous Swedish pop duo with a hit song. As they grew older, their fame faded and they were left trapped in a disastrous marriage and with angry and bitter son. One fateful day, Lennart wandered into the woods to pick mushrooms, and he found an infant, left discarded, half buried and in a plastic bag. He brings the infant home and gives her the moniker Little One. Lennart has an ear for music, and soon he realizes that Little One emits the most beautiful notes. He believes she is destined to become a great singer. Afraid to call the police or social services in fear that they would take her away, Lennart and Laila keep Little One locked in the basement. They instill in her a fear of adults. She remains trapped for years, until she finally reaches adolescence.

In another part of Sweden we meet Theresa. As a girl, Theresa is quiet and doesn’t quite fit in socially. This becomes traumatic when she becomes older and begins to gain weight. She finds herself shunned and mocked at school, while even her one childhood friends finds a girlfriend and moves on. Theresa begins to withdraw from the world, creating online personas and trolling poetry sites. She becomes obsessed with a contestant on Sweden’s version of Idol, and is determined to meet this strange singer. When she finally meets Little One, a terrifying and dysfunctional friendship is formed. The novel examines the music industry, the effects of bullying, reality singing competitions and dysfunctional relationships and winds them together in a dark and terrifying package. Little Star is an unsettling read that will haunt readers long after they have finished the novel.